"They'd pull up a picture of the class of 1940 and by golly, they'd know everybody in it," Spann said. "Then they'd start telling stories. Every picture has a story."

The historical society has not decided how to make the photos available to the public, or whether a searchable online archive would be created, Spann said.

"It's definitely a work in progress," she said. "There's a lot of stuff we have to sort and identify. The museum is really grateful for all the hours JC put into this and we're dedicated to continuing the project."